Blog Comments: This one Set the Page on Fire

Blogging can be a frustrating experience. And I’m not just talking about the writing aspect which is a challenge in itself. I’m talking about the whole enchilada – the writing, the seo, the managing of comments and particularly the perpetual feeding of the blog!

A blog is like a young bird in a nest with its mouth wide open waiting for its next feed. Somehow the bird is never satisfied because its mouth is always gaping. And when food doesn’t arrive on time the ungainly little fledgling sets up a commotion, screaming and flapping its naked wings!

I presume that this applies to many a blog out there – it certainly applies to mine. I have four of these demanding critters. Each one with a mind of its own and its own set of related issues.

But there are also times when they can make you laugh.

Take my blog, Graphology World for example. As you know, content is the heart of any blog. But while content is the heart, comments are the circulatory system. You cannot have one without the other.

Blog comments show you that the blog is active and alive. They also give the blogger access to his or her readers.

Now I had been collecting comments for many years. To me they were like proverbial bees around the graphological honey pot. You can’t have honey without bees!

Well one fine day, a hacker found his way into my blog and inundated it with thousands of spam comments. The company hosting the blog was furious. They couldn’t handle the influx and so they shut the blog down.

Eventually after much to-ing and fro-ing they re-instated it – but sadly without the comments. They had deleted every one. And no, they weren’t able to get them back for me. They were permanently gone. I just had to face it.

Now the thing about comments is that most people don’t like to be first to leave an opinion. They are shy about putting themselves out there and they only leave comments when they see that the post already has several existing ones.

There was my blog in all it’s naked glory. Completely and utterly devoid of any comments and totally friendless.

So imagine my excitement a few weeks later when I received my first brave new comment!

Joy and delight!

That is until I read it.

And what a shocker it turned out to be. I turned all colours from pink to bright red.

My new comment was a furious and very blue observation about a certain blog post I had written and the language was unrepeatable.

After the initial shock, I burst out laughing. I had never heard or read such colourful language. Particularly in relation to something as innocuous as graphology. But there it was in all it’s passion and fury burning a hole in the page.

The post in question was a rather popular one about ugly handwriting and what it says about personality. In that particular post I had mentioned that ugly handwriting could (among other things) indicate bad temper.

Apparently this frustrated reader disagreed vociferously with verbal guns blazing – in capitals! He insisted that although his handwriting was ugly he was not an angry person.

My premise that ugly handwriting was sometimes connected to volatility or bad temper was hogwash (he was more explicit) and I in particular was a “S–tbird! I had never heard that term before but it was so deliciously expressive that I had to laugh.

I do wish that I could repeat the entire diatribe because it made me crack up with laughter! But trust me – it really is unprintable!

However, there in full evidence was justification for my claim that handwriting can reveal bad temper – and from his response real anger too. Of course, he had completely overlooked the good points I had mentioned.

How I wished that I could have seen his handwriting!

I haven’t deleted his little composition but I also can’t publish it. So I keep it there just to remind myself of that little aphorism – “if the shoe fits wear it.” Graphologically speaking of course!

So what did I learn? Quite a bit actually.

Among other things I learnt that criticism comes in many shapes and sizes and

that if you accidentally press an emotional button you will get an emotional response.

That blog posts can bring emotions to boiling point no matter how innocuous you think they are

That blogs are living things because they tend to take on a life of their own

and that blogging should never be entered into lightly because it can have the most unpredictable consequences!

10 Comment

I applaud you for your intelligent reply to the critic as well as your comments about ugly writing. We needn’t worry about these barking dogs who attack our profession, but welcome them, for they are valuable opportunities to sharpen our skills and stay focused upon our goal, which is to help mankind understand himself. Of all the crises in the world today — debt, war, violence, poverty…etc. — the biggest is unconsciousness. Man does not know he is a spiritual being, an immortal, and part of the Divinity itself.. And we graphologist are but one of a vast army of Lightworkers helping MAN to self-awareness.

Sandra

January 10, 2015 at 10:57 am,

Thank you, Charlie. What a great comment! Your thoughts give perspective and inspiration to counteract the negativity.

Sandra

January 10, 2015 at 10:59 am,

Hi Ruth – I only laughed when the shock wore off!

valerie McKenna

January 12, 2015 at 14:25 pm,

That was a wonderfully intelligent response Sandra.
Your blog was actually very balanced about ugly writing (like mine)
I was actually quite soothed by your reasoning. ☺

Sandra

January 12, 2015 at 15:14 pm,

Many thanks Valerie. There’s actually quite a lot to ugly handwriting and it isn’t all bad as you can see! Some of my best friends…..!

Carmen Kirschling

January 14, 2015 at 02:47 am,

Kudos for first taking a step back and then seeing the humour in it, Sandra. Putting yourself out there is, well, courageous. When you’re sharing with honesty, integrity and candour, it can be daunting to get ‘hate mail’. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions and I know we can learn from others, but it takes real courage to add value to the world instead of criticism. Keep up the great blogs!

Sandra

January 14, 2015 at 11:18 am,

Thank you for the encouraging words, Carmen. People like you neutralize any flack and make the effort so worthwhile!

Turning to your, ‘hate mail’, people tend to condemn and judge what they don’t understand; from ancient times people have feared the different and the strange – the ‘other’ – we’re seeing xenophobic violence and hatred all over SA today, though the mainstream media has only highlighted certain key areas !

Certainly in our remote past there was survival value in distrusting another tribe because they
may have had, (and, probably did have,) evil intent

I’ve been the target of many hateful remarks and actions after which I’ve had to grow a very thick skin

Sandra

January 30, 2015 at 15:29 pm,

Ruth, you are probably right in that it comes from a lack of understanding.